Tag Archives: Cloud Foundation

There are just days left in our Freedom Family fundraising campaign and we are SO close to meeting our goal! Ginger and the TCF volunteer team are already in Montana getting the family ready for the long haul to Colorado.

Through supporter donations we’ve raised over $15,000 to support these beautiful rescued Pryor Mountain mustangs and bring them to their new home. Our goal of $20,000 should help us to cover all the basic costs of the move, from brand inspection, to health certificates, to the hauling itself.

Help us build a bright new future for these horses by donating today! You’ll receive a beautiful 5×7 photograph “Thank You” signed by Ginger Kathrens, founder of The Cloud Foundation.

More than that, you’ll be participating in the start of something new and magnificent, something we’ve never done before… creating the opportunity for people to experience a wild horse family, learn from them, and fall in love. Let’s do something great, together!

(June 11, 2019) Last week, The Cloud Foundation (TCF), a Colorado-based nonprofit organization, sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee (Click here for letter), voicing opposition to a dangerous and ill-conceived management plan that could result in the roundup of over 50,000 horses. The letter calls on the Committee’s Chairman, Rep. Raul Grijalva, to hold hearings regarding the failure of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to effectively manage the Wild Horse and Burro program. The Colorado nonprofit also urges the committee to provide oversight and benchmark requirements for a BLM pilot program, embedded in the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill.

The legislation, as passed by the House Appropriations Committee on May 22, 2019 and headed to the House floor this week, “lacks safeguards, assurances, and oversight,” said Ginger Kathrens, Director of The Cloud Foundation. (Click here for legislative text and report language.)

“We believe the appropriations language gives the agency far too much latitude on issues where there is disagreement between BLM and the wild horse and burro community. The Cloud Foundation recommends that this pilot program be developed with the oversight and guidance of the House Natural Resources Committee and that the committee initiate a series of hearings to oversee the development of a sound and balanced management plan that holds BLM accountable for implementing humane, reversible fertility control programs.”

The management plan, submitted to Congress earlier this year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) et al. would double the number of horses in off-range holding at enormous cost to the American tax-payer. “While perhaps seen as a compromise, these groups are bargaining with the lives and potential deaths of 50,000 horses,” says TCF Director of Communications, Lisa Friday. “Unless funds are allocated to support those horses in holding for the rest of their natural lives, it is not hard to imagine that slaughter will be their eventual fate.”

TCF has advocated for wild horses and burros since its inception in 2005, and Kathrens has documented these animals in the wild for over 25 years.

“BLM never wanted the job of managing a wildlife species, particularly one that competes with one of their major clients, the livestock industry,” Kathrens states. “We cannot trust that BLM will implement reversible fertility control if we simply ask nicely, as called for in this plan. BLM must spend the money where it is allocated – and we must allocate the majority of funds to humane, reversible on-range management. We believe one way to hold BLM to account is to build oversight into any pilot program.”

Click HERE for TCF’s full response to new “multi-stakeholder” management plan.

Click HERE for the Unified Statement, a plan for humane management of America’s Wild Horses and Burros signed by over 100 wild horse and animal advocacy groups.

The Cloud Foundation and other wild horse advocate groups are once again fighting to protect the Warm Springs mares. Despite having been stopped time and time again by our legal actions, the Bureau of Land Management has again revived its abhorrent plan to carry out cruel experimentation on the mares rounded up from the Warm Springs HMA.

Your comments are needed, and the deadline to submit is June 12th. BLM had originally scheduled the deadline for Memorial Day. This was an underhanded tactic that allowed for only 9 business days to comment. Thankfully our legal team filed a motion and we were able to get that unreasonable time frame extended.

The link to TCF’s comments is here. We know passions run high on this issue, ours included, but as always, we ask you to remain professional and courteous in your comments.

1) Enter a title for your comments.
2) Ignore “Chapter Reference” & “Section Reference”
3) You can enter your comments in the space provided and/or as an attached document.
4) Click “Next” and enter the required personal information on the following page.
5) Click “Next”, agree to the disclaimers on the final page, and click “Submit”.

For the past couple of weeks, we have been in contact with the ASPCA and HSUS, the main drivers behind a new management proposal for America’s wild horses and burros. We learned of their concerns for our wild herds in response to growing impatience on the part of lawmakers. We have also listened to the comments of other wild horse advocates and all of you wild horse lovers.

We share your deep concern, especially if this plan moves forward.

In its current form, this “management” plan lacks the safeguards and oversight that would keep our wild herds safe from inappropriate, unscientific, and cruel management practices. We have tried to work with the organizations supporting this plan, asking them to add language which mandates that funds be allocated for humane, reversible fertility control and provide for meaningful accountability on the part of BLM.

Sadly, we understand that the proposal will soon be put forward to Congress as-is. This does not end our efforts. We will continue to fight for the protection of America’s wild horses and burros. We are actively working on alternative solutions to this disastrous proposal and we will see the fight through.

We want to thank you all for your support of our mission and our work, and for loving our wild herds as much as we do. Transparency is at the core of meaningful communication and that is why we’d like to explain our concerns about this proposed plan, so you can decide for yourself whether or not it seems right to you.

Our wild horses will need your voice in the coming months, and being informed is the first step in taking effective action. I have learned in my 25 years of advocacy that one passionate voice can make a difference, but an army of informed, passionate voices can create lasting change.

Thank you for standing with us and with our wild ones.

We know that we can count on you to lend your voice, as needed, to champion our wild families, who cannot speak for themselves.

We encourage you to call your representatives and senators and urge them not to support this proposal as-is.

Since the recent announcement of a new management proposal for America’s wild horses and burros, The Cloud Foundation has been working hard behind the scenes to craft a measured, science-based response. We know that you rely on us for accurate, actionable information rather than reactionary rhetoric, and thoughtful commentary takes time.

TCF supports the Unified Statement, which outlines a humane, cost-effective plan for on-the-range management and is signed by over 100 wild horse and animal advocacy groups. It is our opinion that the proposal supported by ASPCA, HSUS, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, et al. presents a danger to our wild herds in its current form. This proposal does not provide for any meaningful accountability on the part of the BLM to follow through on its responsibilities and we can find no scientific backing for its claims.

We agree that change is needed. Our western rangelands are suffering from the effects of climate change and overuse by multiple interests, including energy development and livestock grazing. We are at a tipping point and a new path forward needs to be blazed.

This is an opportunity to alter the course of a broken system and affect meaningful change for the betterment of all. We need to look at not just what is convenient for the BLM or the private interests, but also consider what is right for the land, for our wild horses and burros, and for the American people who love them.

Let’s not forget – these are not “the BLM’s wild horses.” These are America’s wild horses. They belong to each citizen of the United States, and they are beloved symbols of freedom. Americans do not want to see or pay for their wild mustangs to be rounded up by the tens of thousands and incarcerated for the rest of their natural lives.

Collaboration between groups of stakeholders is needed, and compromise will likely be required – but it should happen across the board. If everyone comes to the table willing to talk with an open mind we can come up with a solution and plan for the future that will truly serve our nation, its ecosystems, natural resources, and wildlife.

Sadly, no wild horse advocate groups with nothing to gain from this proposal were included in its formative stages. Our wild horses and burros deserve a seat at the table, and not one group with knowledge of the complexities of the on-range management issue was invited to speak for them as this plan was being drafted. That fact speaks for itself.

The Cloud Foundation always has been and will continue to be a thoughtful, passionate voice for safe, humane, cost-effective on-the-range management of our wild horses and burros. We are very willing to lend our 25 years of experience to a rational and open-minded discussion in order to build a logistically and fiscally sustainable strategy for management of these incredible animals.

We are fighting for the lives and future of our wild herds right now. There are some government and private interests that would wash their hands of them, given the chance. We know that we can count on you to lend your voice, as needed, to champion our wild families, who cannot speak for themselves.

Thank you for all you’ve done and will continue to do for these majestic animals.

BLM is seeking to fill three open spots on the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. For the past three years, Ginger Kathrens, TCF Founder and Director, has served in the critical role of humane advisor to this board and is reapplying for a second term of service.

We don’t have to tell you the importance of having a voice for our wild ones within this body of advisors! With private interests being over represented, these magnificent animals need someone to speak for them.

Please take action NOW and support Ginger’s reinstatement as Humane Advisor.

How can you help?

Easy! Follow the simple instructions below:

1) Write a short letter of support for Ginger Kathrens’ renomination. (This is not a formal nomination but a letter of support in your own words).

Some points you can make:

25 years spent documenting wild horses

Her award-winning series of Cloud films reintroduced America to their wild horses

Tireless advocate for the preservation of wild horses and our public lands

Thought leader in the wild horse advocacy community, her voice and opinion are widely respected

Committed to working with the BLM to find sustainable humane management solutions

Do you frequently call or write your senator and US representative? This is the time to ask them specifically to support Ginger with the letter. Or, even better, provide a letter using the points above which they can easily sign and send. Don’t forget the deadline of April 1, 2019!

The Cloud Foundation would not be here without your generous support. Our mission and to preserve and protect all of America’s wild horses and burros, and the land which was dedicated to them, would not be possible without your contributions.

For the past three years, TCF Founder and Executive Director, Ginger Kathrens, has served a critical role as humane advisor to the agency tasked with managing our wild horses and burros on our public lands. As her first term comes to a close, we are thrilled to announce that she will reapply for a second term of service.

The BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is stocked with people from all sides of the “issue”, many who are not friendly to these magnificent animals. It’s crucial to the humane management of our wild herds to have an advocate with Ginger’s breadth of knowledge and compassion in the body of advisors.

We know that you care as much about the freedom and well-being of our wild horses as we do, and so we ask you to take action now and support Ginger’s reinstatement as Humane Advisor.

The Cloud Foundation would not be here without your generous support. Our mission and to preserve and protect all of America’s wild horses and burros, and the land which was dedicated to them, would not be possible without your contributions.

Trips to the Pryors with Ginger often surprise and delight. Just a few weeks ago, blanketed with snow, the rugged landscape looked like a winter wonderland and I found myself marveling at how many generations of wild horses have lived – and died – in this precious untamed wilderness.

During this most recent trip, however, Ginger and I faced a sad goodbye. One of the matriarchs of the mountain, War Bonnet, passed away during our stay. After 26 years of living wild and free, it appeared that she passed quietly, laying down at the foot of a juniper and simply saying “farewell”.

Help us keep War Bonnet’s descendants, and all the Pryor mustangs, wild and free in their mountain home. We can’t do this work without your generous support, and we are so appreciative of all that you do to help us preserve our wildlife and wild lands. Make a Donation.

Nearly 1,000 Devil’s Garden wild horses captured in October’s roundup are in danger of being sold for slaughter. Despite public opposition and California law, which makes it a felony to sell wild horses to slaughter, the Forest Service may get away with this heinous act.

To compound this tragedy, to date the Forest Service has destroyed 6 horses rounded up from Modoc National Forest after they showed signs of Pigeon Fever. While we know this is a curable illness that does not warrant death, the fact remains that it is a communicable disease – transmittable to adopters’ own livestock.

Due to a 3-4 week incubation period during which animals may appear asymptomatic – and lack of quarantine in the holding corrals, there is no way to know how many of the 962 horses rounded up may be affected or how many potential adopters’ animals will be at risk.

Your voice is needed to protect these vulnerable animals!

What you can do to help

Please speak out on behalf of the wild horses and domestic animals at risk if this adoption goes forward. Just a few minutes of your time will make a huge difference.

Sample message:The Forest Service MUST halt the Nov 16th adoption of horses in the Double Devil Corrals in Alturas, California. It is public knowledge that 6 horses from this herd have been destroyed after showing signs of Pigeon Fever. This is a communicable disease that is easily transmitted to adopters’ animals. That the Forest Service would pursue this course of action after deeming the illness so grave as to warrant death is gross negligence and could result not only in public outrage but in potential lawsuits. Moving forward with this event would be inexcusable, as the Forest Service is knowingly putting the public and their livestock at risk of harm.

Act now to protect these animals

America’s wild horses are federally protected species, and yet they are in danger of being sold to slaughter by the truckload if the Forest Service is allowed to proceed.

We need your help to keep these American icons safe. We ask for just a few minutes of your time to speak on their behalf.

Citing violations of the U.S. Constitution and three federal laws, an alliance of wild horse protection and animal welfare advocates filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Portland. The groups seek to enjoin the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from proceeding with controversial and dangerous surgical experiments to remove the ovaries of wild mares at BLM’s Wild Horse Corrals in Hines, Oregon.

The complaint was filed on behalf of The Cloud Foundation (TCF) and its executive director Ginger Kathrens, who is also the Humane Advocate on the BLM’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board; the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC); the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI); and wildlife photographer Carol Walker, who is also a Director of Field Documentation for the Wild Horse Freedom Federation, by Nick Lawton of the public interest law firm Meyer, Glitzenstein and Eubanks LLP.

A key demand of the legal action is the right to meaningful public observation and video recording of the experiments to improve public awareness of how the BLM is treating these federally protected wild horses and help the public inform BLM that this inhumane form of sterilization is not socially acceptable.

“To date, the BLM has refused to allow a meaningful opportunity for media or the public to observe and record these procedures,” said Nick Lawton of Meyer, Glitzenstein and Eubanks. “The BLM’s refusal to allow meaningful access to observe and record these experiments thwarts the important newsgathering objectives that Plaintiffs aim to achieve by observing and documenting the BLM’s treatment of wild horses, and thus violates Plaintiffs’ rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

The legal action also alleges that the experiments, which involve performing an outdated surgical procedure called ovariectomy via colpotomy (a blind surgery in which a veterinarian inserts his arm into a mares’ abdominal cavity through an incision in the vaginal wall, manually locates the ovaries, then twists, severs and removes them using a rod like tool with a chain on the end) are unscientific, inhumane, and dangerous, and will result in pain, suffering, and potentially life-threatening complications for wild mares.

Video of the procedure, which has been called “barbaric” by equine veterinarians, can be seen here.

This is the BLM’s second attempt to conduct research on the surgical removal of the ovaries of wild mares. In 2016, AWHC and TCF sued to uphold their First Amendment right to observe the experiments, a major objective of which was to determine the social acceptability of the procedure. The BLM cancelled the experiments, which it intended to conduct in partnership with Oregon State University — instead of providing public observation.

In its renewed attempt to conduct the research this year, the BLM dropped the objective of determining social acceptability in order to avoid providing meaningful observation. Instead, the BLM is offering limited observation through the doorway of a room adjacent to the surgical suite on a first-come, first-served basis with no independent veterinary observation provided.

When the agency re-released the sterilization research proposal, the BLM announced that it would be conducting the experiments in conjunction with Colorado State University (CSU). The University was to provide expertise in monitoring and assessing the welfare impacts of the surgeries on the wild mares. However, in August, CSU withdrew from the project. Instead of finding another academic institution with expertise in animal welfare monitoring and assessment, the BLM dropped CSU’s scientific observation of animal welfare from its study design.

Then, on September 13, 2018, the BLM announced that it was moving forward with the spay feasibility study despite opposition from the public and veterinarians, a warning from the National Academy of Sciences that the procedure was “inadvisable” due to health risks, and after two major research institutions – CSU and OSU – ended their affiliations with the project.

As soon as next month, the BLM plans to start rounding up 100 percent of the wild horses in the Warm Springs Herd Management Area in southeastern Oregon. An estimated 685 horses will be permanently removed and another 100 mares will be surgically sterilized. The experiments carry a high risk of mortality from bleeding, infection and evisceration (fatal protrusion of bowel through the surgical incision) and will subject pregnant mares to risk of miscarriage and associated complications. (More details on the BLM’s plan can be found here.)

“It is unconscionable to conduct invasive and dangerous surgeries on wild mares, ripping their ovaries out with a chain, destroying their fetus, then returning them out into a dirt corral with little to zero pain management before releasing them into the wild,” states Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation and the Humane Advisor on the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. “This is a rare, last ditch operation in the world of domestic mares. I would hope we, as a society, are beyond this kind of cruelty, particularly when humane, safe, and scientific alternatives to control wild horse reproduction have existed for decades.”